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A gutsy win for the Wallabies on Saturday night saw them claim the Rugby Championship and show the fruits of Michael Cheika’s coaching.
Cheika extracted the battle out of his players through tough training and a building team culture that one senses hasn’t been synonymous with the Wallabies in past years. There is something different about this team, and it’s not just about player selections.
Scott Sio once again showed he must be the first choice loose head prop. The scrum foundation set up against the Springboks and Argentina was on show against the All Blacks in what could go close to being termed dominant.
Cheika’s ‘gamble’ to play David Pocock and Michael Hopper at the same time was more than rewarded with both players performing in open play, in defence and at the breakdown. This will be the way forward from here.
There is also nothing stopping Cheika using this same structure if he doesn’t have the ability to select Pocock or Hooper – the ranks of players that could play this structure is deep.
Cheika was quick to calm everyone down not wanting the players and the public to get too excited about a quality win. That’s just his style. A big fan of hard work reaping reward. Victory is so much better when it comes from sustained effort and the Wallabies will know that this morning. Brutal sessions at training and building belief, a culture of success is what he is all about.
Cheika has really discovered the nuances of interchange using his bench to the greatest advantage in the game. Each player added their touch to the match such as Matt Toomua’s straight running and smart grubber to Adam Ashley-Cooper providing the Wallabies their second try.
James Slipper and Greg Holmes were also solid with the scrum structure maintaining much of its power with the replacements.
Its not often that a replacement scrum half has so much impact but Nic White certainly asked the starting question of Cheika with his performance off the bench. A crucial long distance penalty and the winning try were just the observable contributions of White, who forgot his pointless box kicking from a year ago.
Nehe Milner-Skudder scored a double on debut for the All Blacks showing the foot skills and speed he has displayed all year in Super Rugby. He is most certainly a quality find for the All Blacks in a team not lacking in back depth.
The quality All Blacks team battled it out making some uncharacteristic mistakes in defence. Dan Carter also left some points on the park and made a couple of restart and penalty kick mistakes that don’t often creep into the All Blacks’ game.
The All Blacks won’t make those mistakes again. Cheika is wise to call for calm. He knows it was a good victory, but Eden Park awaits. He knows better than anyone that it will not get any easier.
Something is building with these players, one brick at a time. Lets hope it’s a tall structure!
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.